, 1887-06-16

slid Off the end of the banisters, and here tho
guns separated. was thrown back, and M
this moment Ellsworth appeared in sight at
the landing had just left. Before could
regain my equilibrium jackson raised hs
gun again and fred. The muzzle of his our
was not more than foot or so away from
Ellsworth.
0Ellsworth exclaimed, MY Godp pres.a
his hand to his breast and fell dead at the
foot of the stairway. The heavy charge Of
buckshot had pierced him just above the
heart.
an the meantime had jumped back and
lust as jackson raised the gun second time
fired upon him. did not wait TO see the ef
feet of the shot, but sprang forward and with
n quick thrust of the bayonet forced him
backward. He fell down the staircase and
lay on his face on that landing there below.
AS he fell his gun went of, and had not
been stopping its charge would have gone
through my head. jackson never spoke
word from tho first, and he died without
sign. It is not true that his body was mu.
tilated IL was taken by his friends to some
point in Virginia and buried
"By this time the entire party had reached
the scene There was great excitement |
started into a side room to find place to Law
Ellsworth, and found n young man half
dressed on the bed, who raised his arms and
said, Don't shoot A few minutes later
Col. Wilcox, of Michigan, since a general,
came upstairs with Capt. Coyle and the regi.
mental surgeon The body of Col. Ellsworth
was wrapped in q blanket and taken back to
the boat From thence it was carried to the
navy yard, and thence to the East room Of
the White House, where IL lay in state.
was one of the guard placed over it, and after
tho funeral services / went with it to New
York, and followed IL to Albany and Troy.
Funerals were held at all these places, and
the body was finally inferred at Mechanics.
vile, where tlnO monument has since
been erected over it. The events OF
that trip l can never forget, and they
can never be described The entire country
was up in arms and the resolution to crush
the rebellion was sealed in Ellsworths blood
"The shot went through the flag, did it
notf'
eyes, Ellsworth had rolled it up in his arms.
The charge also struck n badge which he was
wearing. 1t was q badge of the Baltimore
city guard gold medal of about the size OF
a twenty five cent piece This badge bore
upon one side OF it the words: Non solum
nobis sed prope patria' mot only for myself
but for my country. 1t was shot into his
breast and was removed by the surgeon
"When did the president see the bodyF
"He came TO the navy yard soon after it,
arrival. He was much agitated, and walked
up and down the floor before it, wrnging his
hands There were traces of tears upon his
cheeks, and he did not appear TO notice my
entrance. 1 saw him lift the cloth from the
face of the dead man, and 1 heard him ex-
claim with depth of pathos l shall never
forget:
my boy, my boy Was it necessary that
this sacrifice should be nader
shortly after this he made me relate the
whole occurrence in detail, and l had after
ward to relate it to Mrs. Lincoln. President
Lincoln had the highest opinion of Ellsworth.
and he wrote a beautiful letter TO Ellsworth's
parents, in which he spoke of him in the high
est terms. He signed himself Sincerely
your friend in a common atiiiction, Abraham
Lincoln.'r
As we rode back 10 Washington together
Capt. Brownell gave me much OF interest
about Ellsworth, and he told me how President
Lincoln made him a present of the shotgunr
which jackson had used In the killing. He
also told me how he recovered his rine with
which he shot jackson, and at his home in
Washington ! handled these two weapons
and looked over a number OF interesting rel.
les Of Col Ellsworth. The sketches which
are used in this letter are from original pho